Post 2018 political reforms in Ethiopia: Its achievements and challenges Worku Dibu and Ephrem Ahadu* Abstract: This desk study was employed secondary data which are gathered from various literatures to assess the achievements and challenges of post 2018 political reforms in Ethiopia. The development of Ethiopia political trajectory is entangled with numerous paradoxes that raising both challenging and interesting questions. After the down full of the military junta ,the current ruling party i.e. EPRDF take the power and come up with different legal and political reform such as adoption of progressive constitution, recognition of multi-party system and federal state structures to end the long lasting civil war in Ethiopia. However, through time the EPRDF party also become dictator like its predecessors, the ruling party also extensively engage in high political stifling, blocking of internet and website, arbitrarily detention of the country calibers such as figure of political leaders, bloggers, journalists and activists that works on human and democratic rights and dumping of Diaspora media which are an artery of voiceless peoples of Ethiopia and uneven factor mobility. These measures triggered the public to stand against it. The massive public protest coupled with bloodshed of civilians shocked the party and forced to look inside so as to rescue the country from disintegration. As the result of deep reform held within the party, Abiy Ahimed becomes the chairman of the party and by default the prime minster of the country. After he come into power, unexpected remarkable achievements have been recorded in fostering regional peace, widen political landscape and liberalize the key economic sectors. However, the reform of Abiy is not unchallenged rather there are various challenges that impede the speed of reform. Hence, the authors are intended to as the achievements and challenges of post 2018 political reform in Ethiopian and forward the possibly solution to overcome the challenges. Keywords: political reforms, achievements, challenges * Worku Dibu; Ephrem Ahadu ( ) Department of Civic and Ethical Studies, Wachemo University, Ethiopia e-mail: [email protected] (corresponding author) AGATHOS, Volume 11, Issue 1 (20): 439-451 © www.agathos-international-review.com CC BY NC 2020 Worku Dibu and Ephrem Ahadu INTRODUCTION The development of Ethiopia is characterized by a number of paradoxes that raise both challenging and interesting questions in respect of the country’s future trajectory. For many decades, Ethiopia was suffered by lack of democracy in which the political power is monopolized by the central government and the grass root people excluded from political decision process. The countless undemocratic measures had been taken by Ethiopian rulers before the current ruling party come to power. Due to this reason, the current ruling part predominantly TPLF made bloodshed struggle to overthrow the dictatorial regime i.e. Derg or military junta and they become successful with the help of other Ethiopian people. After the EPRDF party took the power different remarkable achievements like introduction of federal state structure, self- determination, and equality of nation nationality and peoples are promulgated. However, gradually the EPDRF party also becomes most dictators like its predecessor under the progressive constitution. Beyond this, a total political dominance of EPRDF party for more than 25 years by paralyzing the emerging mushroom of political parties are the paradoxical historical events that has been taken place in Ethiopia. Though the 1995 FDRE constitution recognized multi-party system, practically there is only one dominating party in which all the resources are absolutely monopolized by the EPRDF (Aalen and Tronvoll 2009). To stay with their power, the party made more repressive laws on antiterrorism, civil society, and the media that enables them to cemented the EPRDF’s authoritarian rule, effectively eliminating opposition parties and independent news outlets and stifling all forms of opposition. The caliber or icon of the country that work on advocacy of human rights and democracy are sent to prison in the name of the repressive law so as to conceal its tarnish image from the international communities. The cumulative effect of the repressive laws, gross human rights violation, and unbalanced power sharing and factor mobility triggered different section of Ethiopian to oppose the spoiled political system. Because of this fact, high political opposition had been taken place in different parts of the country especially within the two dominate ethnic group of Ethiopia i.e. Oromo and Amhara to over throw the yoke of repression from their shoulder. Yet, the party became reluctant to take lesson from its past wrong doing and widen the political ecology and equal resource utilization rather the ruling 440 Post 2018 political reforms in Ethiopia party attempt to abort the opposition by gun shoot via declaring state of emergency. As a result of this, many innocents who oppose the ruling party life was taken away by the order of commander of the defense force. The cruel and inhuman measure taken by the ruling party exacerbate the magnitude of the protest and pave the way to different youngsters from different corner of the country involved in the protest. The massive opposition held within the country makes the ruling government shocked and began to understand the problem is not solved by force rather they preferred to come up with the political propaganda what is the so called conducting deep reform. However, the deep reform cannot bring what they have expected rather the resistance is expanded and resulted the death of many innocent people. As a result of this, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has been determined to resign his power willingly to save the country from the scourge of further destruction (Addis standard 2018) . His party also welcomed the question and determined to elect the chairman of the EPRDF party by the place of Haile Mariam Desalegn. On April 25, 2018 Dr. Abiy Aimed was elected as the chairman of the EPDRF party and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia since by default the chairman of the party becomes the prime minister of the country as per the trend of the party. Abiy quickly embark on different parts of the country that are previously disregarded and become the victims of the system and arranged hall meeting with various section of the society and try to hear their voice. With great commitment and dedication, he can bring unbelievable reform in the country. Among others, releasing several high-profile political prisoners and lifting a draconian state of emergency, encouraged exiled opposition politicians to return home and participate in politics, and proposed liberalization of key economic sectors, including telecommunications, energy, and air transport, ending the two decades No war No peace situation of Eritrea. Though the prime minister can achieved such kinds of remarkable change, it doesn’t mean everything is done without any obstacles rather there are remnants who’s lost their interest barking day up to night and highly engage in conspiracy how can they destabilize the country, create management crisis towards team Lemma and restored their lost political dominance. That is why the authors are triggered to conduct the challenges and achievements of political reform post 2018 in Ethiopia. 441 Worku Dibu and Ephrem Ahadu FACTORS OF POLITICAL REFORMS IN ETHIOPIA It is clear that political reform is not something that comes without unreserved efforts of various sections of the societies who live in a given political system. Yet, it doesn’t mean that the society is arbitrary struggle to bring political reform without different triggering factors that obliged them political reform in given country is necessitates. Some of the major factors for post 2018 political reform in Ethiopia are depict as follow: Narrowing Down Political Landscape Though the ruling party recognized multi part system, it wins election without competition. However in 2005 election, what is happened in Ethiopia history is against what the EPRDF party expected. The ruling party encountered high challenges from opposing party. The electorates gave their voice for opposing party named ‘kingit’ party. At this time, the ruling party rushed to crush down the opposite parties via repressive law made by the legislator. The 2005 election was followed by harassment, prosecution, and punishment of the major critical voice including predominantly the members of opposition party, human rights activists and journalists. As a result of this journey the democratic reform is undermined and the political space has been shrinking. Starting from 2005 election, the human rights situation in Ethiopia was deteriorated as a result of illegal and clandestine harassment and adopting restrictive law like election, anti-terrorism, media and civil society. The enactments of the above listed laws make the ruling party an authoritarian government. The overlap repressive measures taken by the government create political conscious in the mind of Ethiopians .Thus; different Ethiopian who lives in different parts of the world campaigned on the EPRDF party and exposed the serious human right violation done in the country. The influential educated Ethiopians who live outside the country galvanized the young Ethiopians stand to end the repressive regime. As a result of this, high public protest has been occurred in different party of the country and shocked the party to look inside. The EPRDF party feeling intimidated, the ruling party resorted to extreme measures: it declared a state of emergency and went on to arrest tens of thousands of civilians and the caliber of the country such as activists, journalists, bloggers and politicians in the hope of containing the unrest. It also blocked the internet. But in spite of the draconian measures, the unrest continued: the young people increasingly targeted economic and industrial 442 Post 2018 political reforms in Ethiopia institutions supposedly owned by the ruling coalition, and particularly the TPLF. The cumulative effect of political stifling leads the party to make real political reform and elect Dr.